


Justice

by Cole_Atlas



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood and Gore, Death (Minor Characters), F/M, Guns, Romance, Sex, Transgender, Trauma, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:14:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29013387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cole_Atlas/pseuds/Cole_Atlas
Summary: Justice is the leader of a motorcycle gang. He doesn’t have the best past and can’t have a great present because of the fact he is part of a motorcycle gang, but he can have some fun. He goes to have said fun and runs into a pretty girl at a bar (like all good romance novels). Little does he know that while he is out with this girl, that someone from his past is tired of his leadership and wants to knock him out of his role. What will they be willing to do to get rid of Justice? Will they succeed? Will he fall in love with her? One may never know...
Relationships: Justice Davis/River De Luca, Original Character & Original Character
Kudos: 1





	1. Saver of Kittens

**Author's Note:**

> I kept the tags pretty simple on this piece because, for me, a large amount of tags can be a little intimidating. Instead, if something I think might be triggering or useful for the chapter, I will make sure to comment on it before the chapter as a warning. If you need to skip a chapter because of a certain trigger, let me know and I can do a quick recap for what happened in the chapter for you in a message or something. I can’t guarantee that I will have a consistent posting schedule because I’m still writing this piece, but I’ve been having fun with it all month so hopefully I can have things up pretty consistently. 
> 
> One last thing to note is that I love constructive criticism, but be nice with me. My confidence level in writing is lower than the floor and I am doing this as a fun project and not something super serious even though I am in love with my boy Justice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There aren’t any extra tags for this chapter because it is just meeting two of the main characters.

_Ten Years Ago_

“Did you just save a kitten from a tree?” Talon’s voice brought Justice’s gaze up from the small creature in his arms to the man standing a few feet away. 

Talon was leaning against his bike, a single eyebrow raised in question. He almost looked intimidating in his biker boots and black leather jacket, but his twenty-two-year-old face looked too childish now that it was freshly shaven. To anyone else, the man would look like a teen attempting to be rebellious. To Justice, he was a man ready for anything. He might have a clean-shaven face, but there were light scars where his beard had once been that shown far too brightly if someone dared get close enough. Justice only knew they were there because he had seen the fresh scratches not that long ago. He could still see the white line that started a few inches away from his ear and ran down the man’s strong jaw, almost reaching the center of his chin, from when someone had hit him with a crude pair of brass knuckles. Even if he looked no older than seventeen, Justice knew the man had a life that aged him past his actual age.

Then again, anyone standing next to Justice would look far more innocent than they were. He knew that. It was hard to be anything but intimidating when, even at twenty-four, he looked like he had already been killing people for thirty years. His brown eyes always looked close to black because of the shadow his brows created. His demon-like eyes paired with his resting bitch face and the fact he was built like a tank meant he didn’t even need his tattoos to scare most people. But he wasn’t one to do something halfway, so he had begun the process to cover himself in tattoos. Most were unable to be seen through his jacket, but it was obvious he had them because the ink snaked up his throat to his jawline. Each time he walked into a store at least one person would shrink away from him like he was the devil himself.

“Maybe.” Justice’s gaze slid back down to the black kitten who had its claws curled into his jacket sleeve. If he could speak to cats, Justice was sure he would hear the animal screaming to be put down along with a string of swear words that would make even the hardest sailor blush. No amount of soothing would calm the creature down and that was only proved when a gentle stroke of Justice’s fingers caused the animal’s hind legs to press against his arm and the tiny teeth tried to puncture the leather jacket in its vicious attack.

A snort came from the male still by his bike, causing the small bundle to stiffen midbite. “Why? It probably could have gotten down on its own. Not all cats are incapable of getting down from trees.”

Justice carefully pried the creature from his sleeve and held it out to his friend, ignoring the question. “Wrap it in your jacket. We are taking it to the vets to see if it has a chip.”

While Justice knew Talon would be annoyed with the order, the man didn’t hesitate to slip the leather jacket from his shoulders and use it as a barrier around the animal to keep them from getting scratched. It would also keep the cat from escaping when they made their way to the vet’s office. Justice wasn’t about to pull it from another tree if it escaped them, so they had to hold onto it until they could get somewhere that wouldn’t allow the small ball of fur to escape.

“How are we going to do that on our bikes? We kind of need our hands to control our vehicles.”

Justice met Talon’s gaze, taking the bundled cat back in his arms so he was cradling it like a baby. Talon’s jacket was far too bulky for what they needed, but it seemed to do the job. Only the head of the kitten poked out above the folds of the black leather, the ears flat on its head. If Justice had been looking, he would have seen a small peak of teeth as it tried to bike the edge of the jacket again.

“I’m feeling like a walk.” In theory they could hold onto the animal while they took their bikes, but Justice didn’t want to scare the animal with the loud roar that came with riding a motorcycle. “Google the nearest vet clinic.”

Justice could feel the need for Talon to roll his eyes, but the other male refrained. While the anger seemed to be directed toward the kitten, Justice knew better. They had been on their way to a meeting when Justice pulled over so he could play hero. Since they had already been running late, there was no telling how late they would be if they walked to the vet clinic and Talon hated to be late. Justice gave zero fucks.

“Oh, did I make you upset?” Justice purred.

Talon flicked one eyebrow up. “Hardly.” As he spoke, the slightly taller male slipped his phone from his pocket to search for the nearest vet. “We have about a mile walk. Think we could stuff the thing in a side bag?”

It was Justice’s turn to snort a laugh. “Yeah. I would love to see how well that went for you. Two seconds into the ride you would have to get off and chase the thing.” Talon’s side bag didn’t seal like it should, so it opened without even needing a gentle breeze. The kitten would only need to press its face against the lid to get out. “And I don’t have room in mine.” Even if there had been room, he wouldn’t have put the animal in the bag. Justice didn’t like the idea of putting the animal in that kind of situation. 

Talon huffed but began to walk toward the clinic anyway. Justice followed but turned his gaze back to the animal whose wide eyes looked black in fear. As much as the male wanted to comfort the kitten, it wouldn’t have any idea what he was doing. It simply wanted to get out of the trap he had set for it, even if said trap was meant to help it out of a bad situation. 

By the time they got the cat to the vet and confirmed it had an owner, the two men were over an hour late for their meeting. That didn’t mean they ran back to their bikes to make it any faster. They just strolled casually to their parked vehicles like they had the entire day to kill.

Neither said a word even as they climbed on the bikes and drove the thirty minutes to the bar that Justice had taken over a few weeks prior along with a position that came with the leather jacket he had forced himself to wear. It was only after they had parked and were on their way to the front door that Talon spoke. “I got your back.”

Justice glanced to the side at the man he had spent years both protecting and being protected by. “I know, but keep your mouth shut until this is over. Many people are dead and not all of the people alive like what I did.”

“I do.”

“You better.”

Justice held Talon’s gaze for a moment, reliving the events that had brought them here. A few red lines still lingered on Talon’s face and throat next to the older scars Justice had been thinking about earlier. Justice knew he had his own scars that would soon turn a horrid shade of white in his black tattoos. Eventually he would get the tattoos fixed, so no one would ever know the injuries were there, but Justice would always be able to see the ones his friend had. Even when Talon’s beard came back and the lines faded with age, Justice would know. Justice hadn’t stepped up soon enough to stop the injuries from happening and that would eat away at him for the rest of his life.

“I got you.” Talon repeated as Justice faced the door.

While neither man was in any real danger now, it still took Justice a moment to grab the door handle and step inside of the dark, run down bar.


	2. Sleeping Beauty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Alcohol

_Present Day_

“You’re actually wearing your jacket?” Talon grumbled from behind the bar. His hands were busy, as always, cleaning a glass that probably didn’t need to be cleaned. Since Justice had known the man, he always had to be doing something, even if it was something as simple as reading or as complicated as building a gun from broken pieces.

“Well, good morning beautiful.” Justice smirked as he removed his jacket and placed it down, so the back was facing up, giving Talon the perfect view of the new design Justice had been contemplating for the past several months. It was simple, but he was happy with it. He doubted Talon would be as happy.

On most of the member’s jackets, the design was standard. The name “Fallen Devils” arched between the shoulder blades with a batch below that was the outline of a big red X that was designed to look distressed. On some of the more senior members, the jacket had the words separated with the word “Fallen” on the shoulder blades and the word “Devils” on the bottom half of the jacket. Between the words, the X was still the same, but on either side of the X devil tails reached out from the word “Devil” so that both tails pointed “Fallen.” Justice’s jacked had looked like the latter option for the last ten years and it had been like drinking acid each time he forced himself to wear it. He had finally had enough over the last few weeks and had gotten himself a new jacket and changed the design, so it was all his own.

Everything was the same, except the red X was replaced with a bullseye made of black and white thread. His original plan of using red thread had made the seamstress laugh. Apparently, he almost made himself a walking add for Target, but he wasn’t going to mention that to anyone. Instead, he was going to let them admire the fact they could find the center of his back without any issues with the shining white thread.

“What the actual fuck did you do to your jacket?”

Justice stared at his friend’s face as the man stared down at the jacket. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“You put a target on your back?” Talon set the glass down he had been cleaning.

“Maybe.” Justice sat down on one of the stools and folded his hands so he could rest his chin on top of them. He gave his friend an innocent smile before he spoke again. “Doesn’t it look pretty?”

“It’s stupid.” Talon leaned forward against the counter, so they were barely an inch apart. Justice noted that if someone walked into the bar right now, they might think they would kiss. “You trying to die?”

Justice chuckled and raised a single shoulder in response.

Talon lifted a hand and shoved at his friend’s shoulder, nearly knocking Justice off his chair. The action had a few men quickly getting to their feet, but with a wave of Justice’s hand, they all sat back down. Most of the men here knew that Justice and Talon were too close for either man to be a real danger to the other, but a few men were too new to the group to know that Talon would throw himself between the bullet and Justice’s back if someone actually used the jacket as target practice. 

“You will die.”

“Well, no shit,” Justice said with a grin. “Everyone dies baby.”

“But most people try to make it harder to be murdered. You just made it easier.” Talon shook his head and turned to grab a random bottle off the shelf behind him. With practiced hands, he began to make two drinks. Only when he was done did he turn to face Justice again, sliding one of the drinks his way. “Change it back.”

“Fuck that. This is my jacket and I’m the boss. Besides, the old jacket is in the trash where it belongs. I’ve worn it long enough to prove the point I needed to make back then.” Justice gulped the entire drink in a single swallow before exchanging the glass for the second one Talon had poured.

“Please.”

“Oh, I like when you beg.” Justice watched Talon for a moment before placing his free hand on the leather jacket, so his palm rested in the middle of the target. He liked having the bullseye there because it was a good reminder for himself what was always at stake. “But you know why I needed the change so stop begging me.”

Talon crossed his large arms over his chest and slowly took in a breath. As he exhaled, he closed his eyes. All Justice could assume was that the other male was reliving the moment Justice had taken the blood-stained jacket that had once belonged to someone both men hated and shrugged it on for his enemies to see. Since Justice had just thought about the same thing, he was going to let the man think about the new jacket and Justice’s need for the change. 

“That doesn’t mean I like it Just.” 

“I know. I don’t expect you to like it, but I’m a target regardless of how my jacket looks.” Justice waited for Talons’ eyes to open before speaking again. “Want one? I mean, you aren’t less of a target.”

Talon shook his head again and gave a faint smile that barely changed the way his eyes looked. “Yes, because I really want a jacket that has a target on it. I don’t have a death wish.”

“Sure, you do. You came out to a bunch of biker men at, what, twenty-five? That would have been a death wish in any other club.”

Talon snatched the empty glass from Justice and sneered at him.

“Ok, bad time to bring that up. Guess you haven’t gotten ass in-.”

“Shut up Just.” Talon poured another shot in Justice’s glass but took the shot himself.

“Oh? Am I driving you to drink baby?” Justice shifted in his seat and hummed low in his throat. “You sure you don’t want one? It would look just like mine.”

“Your ass?”

Justice snorted, his eyes narrowing playfully on his friend. “You couldn’t handle my ass. I meant the jacket fucker."

Talon tossed the dirty glass gently into a cleaning pile before leaning back against the bar, his gaze locked on Justice’s. “Why would I want that? To look like the president?”

“No one can tell which of us rules this shit anyway. You could walk into a rival’s bar and they would all assume you were the president with how our men follow you into fire.”

“Fuck that. I barely want to be the Vice, much less the President. I’m only here because of you and you know it.” 

“No, you aren’t.” Justice folded his hands again to rest his chin on them again. “If I remember correctly you wanted to rebel against your cop dad. I didn’t make you do that. You did it all on your own and now you are stuck here because of me.”

Talon’s glare barely changed his neutral expression. His mouth still held the same tight line that never really seemed to change, no matter what was going on. “Low blow.”

“Am I wrong?”

Talon shook his head once.

“That’s what I thought. Don’t blame me for your decisions baby bro.”

Talon let his shoulders lower slightly before he glanced out at the sea of men watching their every move. Other than the shove, not much had happened, but the men knew when the pair fought, even in jest that something was up. “My answer is still no to the target and I still don’t want the job.”

“Good thing it isn’t yours.” Justice stood and picked up the jacket. “And now, as the boss I’m telling you to take the rest of the night off.”

“You are the boss of the club, not the bar. I own half of this. You agreed when we took our new jobs, or have you forgotten that old man?” Talon picked up a glass and filled it with a drink, sipping at it instead of shooting it like he had a moment ago.

Justice scrunched up his nose before giving a soft huff. “Fine. You work your ass off. I’m going to a normal bar to try to get some tail.” 

“Don’t scare the girls this time. I don’t want to hear you made someone else cry because of your face.”

“I would never.”

Talon tilted his head and glanced over Justice slowly before just staring at his friend’s face.

“Wipe that look off your face. I don’t need you to remind me that I look like the thug I am.” Justice had gotten his first tattoo at fourteen and hadn’t stopped since. At this point he barely had any skin left to tattoo other than his face and his calves. Hell, he technically did have a few on his face since he had tattoos that slipped up his neck and into his hairline where his sideburns would be if he grew them out. He also had a small cross tucked into his hairline on his right temple where he always seemed to get hit.

Just seeing the tattoos normally made people nervous. Add in the fact he wore his leather jacket that indicated he was in a biker club and he scared most people away. Not that he complained about that. Those that could see past his outer appearance were normally a good time.

“Ok, then don’t scare the girl so bad she calls the cops. We don’t need them snooping around right now. 

“When do we ever?” Justice gave a playful salute to his friend before he left the bar, deciding that the comment about the cops would slip through the cracks for now. Talon could handle whatever drama was happening and if he couldn’t, Justice would find out more tomorrow. For now, he was going to enjoy himself.

Normally, when he planned to go out, he would swing his leg over his favorite bike, a modified 2005 Harley Davidson Fat Boy, but that had gone into the shop for a part. That left Justice to climb into his car. He was happy with the car, but it wasn’t anything like a bike that always reminded him that life was never a guarantee. But it still was a nice car. He would give himself that. He had purchased a 2018 BMW 7 series off the lot for half the going price thanks to the girl behind the counter being too scared to say no. It was still in showroom condition and let Justice speed around in a badass car without drawing too much attention.

“Ready?” Justice asked his car as he climbed inside. 

He barely got his seatbelt on before he tore out of the parking lot of his club bar. He used a single hand to spin the car into the direction of one of the many bars he used to find a one-night stand.

When he parked, he made sure to park toward the front, under a light, since he was fully aware of who roamed the streets at night. He might be one of them, and even control some, but not all cared about his status. If they saw a nice car, they were going for it. If he parked toward the front of the building, less people would be willing to try. If they tried, he had a feeling a security camera or two would help him get revenge.

“Be back in a few sweets,” Justice purred as he locked the car. He figured it would take him less than thirty minutes to find his prey and convince her he was a good decision for one night.

Justice made his way inside, his shoulder shifted forward to ward off the wind that had begun to kick up around him. The late fall weather hadn’t dipped below fifty yet, but it would reach it soon and the wind was one reminder that soon he would be forced back into the car because riding would be harder to do. While it rarely snowed in the area, Justice figured it would get to that point sooner rather than later. Snow had been predicted all year thanks to the fucked-up weather patterns during summer.

“Fucking cold weather,” Justice groaned as he shoved the door of the bar open. As always, his gaze scanned the bar to make sure there were no rival club members inhabiting the bar. Justice might have a pass with most of the bigger biker clubs, there were little ones that always tried to make names for themselves by coming after someone like him. He wasn’t well known in the United States as a whole but was well known enough amongst the local clubs that if someone were to take over his territory then they would make an instant name for themselves. Not that any had come close in the last ten years. Any time someone got close to him, they often found themselves staring down with Talon. Not something most people came back from.

Justice scanned the small crowd once he determined he was safe. There were several groups that had a woman he eyed, but they all looked like they were drinking underage. Even if they were twenty-one that was too young for him. Although when one woman stared back at him, he had a hard time not staring back. Her lips curled up in a small smile like she knew he liked what he saw. The only way he wouldn’t, was if he were gay. The woman was one curve on top of the other with boobs about to pop out of her shirt and as his gaze fell to them, she pressed them out in his direction. She took a single step toward him as if to accept his invitation of flirtation, but he turned away from her before she got far. She still looked too young and her vibrant blonde hair gave him a headache. He had nothing against blondes, but sometimes they came with more mood swings than he was able to handle.

As he turned, Justice found one of the few women who didn’t look like she was celebrating her twenty-first birthday. She was seated by herself, so he couldn’t see her face to know if she was old enough, but it was rare for Justice to see someone so close to twenty-one not drinking with their friends.

Other than her being alone, the first thing he noticed was the long brown hair that fell in messy waves down the center of her back, ending where her waist tapered in. Then his gaze drifted past her ass and he noticed her legs, which were tucked under the stool she was perched on. They weren’t on display like so many of the women in the bar, but they seemed to drag on for days under her jeans until he reached her feet. He made note of the deadly heels that rested on the stool to keep the woman steady.

Justice grinned to himself before he made his way toward her. He kept his gaze on the woman as her hands swayed in the air, seeming to be a prop in her conversation. Had Justice been paying attention to the bartender, who she held captive with her story, Justice might have laughed at the poor man and his annoyed expression. He didn’t see it though. Instead, he was focused on the woman’s face as it came into view and he could see the strong set of her jaw and full bottom lip that moved enticingly as she spoke.

His body hummed in appreciation as each of her features seemed to be better than the last. He was sure if he got her naked in his bedroom, she would look like a Goddess under even the worst lighting. Sure, he wasn’t religious, but his brain told him he would worship her body if she let him. He imagined many men would.

“Can I get a whiskey?” Justice asked the bartender as he forced himself onto the stool next to his prey.

“Sure.” The man quickly turned to get the drink, causing a small frown to turn the woman’s bottom lip down a little.

_Cute._

Justice wanted to lick that lip. Instead, he licked his own and watched her face turn toward him. Straight on, she was devastating. Her lips were painted a lovely matte color that made the red in her cheeks pop out like beacons. However, he forgot about her lips the moment he met her gaze. Her eyes were just as dark as his own but were outlined in a pair of large glasses and a set of dark brown eyebrows. He wanted to marvel at the depth in her eyes but was forced to look at her profile as she turned away and muttered, “boys are stupid.”

He had to force himself not to laugh at the comment. “Don’t I know it?”

“He is a fucking asshole.” Justice watched her as she grabbed a glass in front of her and downed the entire glass in what seemed a single gulp.

While he liked the fact she seemed so eager to put something in her mouth, his brain rang in warning. A hurt woman meant he would more likely deal with an emotional wreck than get a sexy night with her “Like you said, boys are stupid.”

He knew he should leave, but when she looked back at him and gave him a smile, he couldn’t. It was one of those tipsy smiles that was higher up one side and showed far too many teeth, but it made his entire body fizz with need like she had stroked him through his jeans, which were becoming far too tight.

“You tell him that?” As the question left his lips, the bartender returned with his drink. Justice swore he saw the bartender sprint away to keep from being trapped again.

“No! I can’t do that.” Her hand reached out and grabbed his drink as if it were her own and downed it. When she didn’t flinch at the straight alcohol, Justice grinned wider. Even he had a hard time biting back a wince with some alcohol and he prided himself with having a damn good poker face. “Can’t. Nope. Can’t.”

“If you say so.”

Slowly, the woman lowered her head to the counter, her face turned toward him. Again, he was stuck staring at her until her mouth parted in a content breath as her cheek pressed against the cool surface of the lacquered counter. She wasn’t so far gone to not have a conversation, but Justice knew that no matter how pretty she was, she wasn’t the one he could take home. Her alcohol intake meant she couldn’t agree to his touch fully and he never touched someone sexually if he didn’t have consent. Even he had _some_ morals.

“You need another drink?” When no answer came, Justice frowned. “Babycakes?”

“Need another drink?” The bartender asked hesitantly as he eyed the woman with her head down on the counter.

Justice looked at the man and shook his head. “Didn’t even get to drink the first. She took it while mumbling about some guy. How long has she been like this?”

“She has been at it for the better part of the day. She was here when I started my shift five hours ago.” The man poured another whiskey and slid it to Justice.

“And you didn’t cut her off?” He had no reason to be annoyed, but he struggled to bite back the annoyed remark. The woman hadn’t been plastered and had clearly been having a conversation with him just a moment ago. The only problem was that she looked like she had passed out still holding onto one of the glasses on the bar.

“No. I had no reason to. She wasn’t causing any problems.” The bartender’s eyebrow arched up. “Do you know her?”

“No.” Justice sighed and looked at her. She couldn’t sleep there. Justice reached out and gently shook her shoulder. Her face scrunched up, as if fighting off the motion, but she didn’t open her eyes. She just continued to lay there, content with her place of rest. “Well shit.”

“Might want to shake her a little harder. She needs to pay her tab before she passes out too hard.”

Justice wanted to reach over and smack the man but settled with pulling out a few large bills from his pocket and tossing them on the counter. “Just give me her card. I’m sure the cash covers her alcohol along with a nice tip for keeping her company for five hours.”

“I don’t like the idea of giving a stranger her credit card.”

The bartender might have had a point, but Justice wasn’t in the mood for an argument on this. “Yeah, let’s just say I’m her husband then.” Holding his hand out so his palm was up, Justice gave his best impression of an innocent smile. When that didn’t work, Justice let the smile morph into the one he used when he didn’t get what he wanted. He had perfected his demonic smile early in life and, in that moment, the small curve of his lips and the death threat in his eyes was all that he needed to get the man to hand the card over.

Justice had even needed to flash the gun he had tucked in the front of his pants to get what he wanted.

“Thank you, my good sir. Now I’m going to take my _wife_ back home.” Justice tucked the card in his pocket and shifted to pick the woman up in his arms. She wasn’t exactly heavy, but she was heavier than he had anticipated. He had a harder time shifting her to one arm when he needed to open the bar door and then his car door. The only reason he managed was because her sleepy arms lifted and wrapped themselves around his neck. Her face nuzzled into his chest and he struggled to force himself to put her in the seat he had intended for her to use. All he wanted was to let her continue, his body craving the gentle movement.

When he finally sat her down, he had to pry her arms from around him. She never stopped fighting him, even when she curled in the seat to get comfortable.

“So much for getting some.” Justice knelt by his car, watching the woman breathe in his passenger seat.

It was possible that she would need to go to the hospital if she showed any serious signs of alcohol poisoning, but Justice wasn’t sure she was suffering from that. She hadn’t had all the alcohol at once and she had spoken to him shortly before passing out with fairly good diction for someone who had been drunk enough to pass out. While he was almost positive, she wouldn’t have that affliction, he didn’t know if he would chance it. Then again, what else could he do with her? He didn’t know her address. He could dig through her clothes in search of an address on her license, but there was no guarantee that someone would be at the home to watch her. He could potentially take her to a hotel, but he didn’t want to leave her alone in the off chance that she did have delayed symptoms of alcohol poisoning. Hell, he didn’t want to drop her off at a hotel and have her break something on the way to the bathroom because he didn’t want to pay that bill. He only wanted to spend so much money on someone he didn’t know. He also didn’t want to stay with her in a hotel when he never slept well in places he was unfamiliar with.

That left him with taking her to his own apartment and, as unappealing as that was, he figured it would be his best option. The moment she was able to stay awake and felt okay enough to drive, he could take her to the bar to get her car or drive her home. He didn’t technically have a day job, so he didn’t have anything better to do.

Well, he had things to do, but he wasn’t above putting any of it to the side. 

“What do ya say babycakes? Wanna come to my place?” Justice shifted his gaze back to her face. 

She wasn’t his usual type, but damn was she beautiful. She had the right features, the ones where the woman looked like she couldn’t hurt a butterfly, but she was taller than the women he usually went for when it came to hookups. Any time he varied from his usual type, it never ended well for him or for the woman. It often ended up in a relationship that would be doomed far before it began.

Not that such a thing stopped him from carefully buckling her into his passenger seat.

“I’ll take your silence as an agreement.” Justice stood and carefully closed his car door before jumping into the driver's seat.

Getting the woman upstairs was a harder task than Justice would have thought. It didn’t help that the elevator was broken, and his apartment was on the top floor. It took him a good ten minutes to climb up to the fifth floor and he was panting by the time he pushed his door open.

It was a good thing they never locked their doors around here or he would have cried. He might be able to carry her, but it was far harder than it should be.

“I gotta fucking work out more.” Justice huffed as he carried her to his bedroom even though he was fully aware he worked out more than he probably should. He spent hours upon hours in the gym and he had bulked up more over the last few months if his tight shirts were any indication.

Justice set her down on the bed, careful not to jostle her too much in an attempt to let her sleep off more of the alcohol. Once she was situated on the right side of the bed, Justice reached out to push hair from her face. He couldn’t stop staring at her as he removed her glasses. It wasn’t like movies, where she was suddenly gorgeous without her glasses, but instead, he found a different kind of beauty behind them. The glasses had made her seem innocent and smart, but they had hidden the black eyelashes and a few stray freckles near her eyes that made her appear like a daydream. “Well, this just isn’t fair. A pretty girl in my bed and I can’t even join her.”

He set her glasses on the nightstand and thought, not for the first time since getting her in his car, that she would likely freak out when she woke up in his home. He wanted to find a way to keep her from panicking, but there was nothing he could do to stop that. Sure, he could write her a note and set it next to her glasses, but he had a feeling that would creep her out more not less.

Justice wanted to smack himself but settled for tucking her still clothed body under the single blanket on the bed. He lived almost like a bachelor, with his basic decorations, but he prided himself by being at least marginally better than most. He had matching living room furniture and a dinning set that he often actually used for meals when he would eat at home. Granted, he didn’t spend too much time in the apartment, but he had the items and they often impressed the women brave enough to walk through the front door because what thirty-something-year-old man was together enough to put his home together?

While he disliked the stereotype, most women weren’t wrong. Men didn’t care about the small details. If it didn’t serve a purpose, it often didn’t end up in the home.

Shaking his head, Justice reminded himself to get his ass moving on getting matching bedroom furniture and decorations as he made his way to the bathroom attached to the bedroom. While he wouldn’t leave a note, he saw no problem with grabbing a few pills and a water bottle that still had the seal intact to put on the broken nightstand he had on one side of the bed. 

Only then did he leave the woman to sleep off her drunkenness. However, he wasn’t ready to sleep so he stepped across the hall to Talon’s apartment to kill some time. He was too wired.

It was only a small irritation when Justice discovered Talon wasn’t home. The man was probably closing the bar since it wasn’t even midnight yet, but when he got home Justice could try to find a way to not look like a murderer when his sleeping beauty woke up.


	3. Chance a Date

“Wake up asshole.”

Talon’s voice echoed in Justice’s ears as something dropped against his chest. Out of instinct, he grabbed it and felt the familiar curves of a motorcycle helmet. Justice didn’t need to open his eyes to know the other man had just walked through the door in his riding leather.

“What time is it?” Justice yawned as he turned his head in the direction Talon walked. The other’s footsteps were light, but just loud enough on the wooden floor to tell Justice his friend was walking to the kitchen.

“Four.”

“In the morning?” Justice gave an exaggerated groan of annoyance as he dropped the helmet on the floor next to him. “The fuck you waking me up for? I haven’t gotten nearly enough beauty sleep.”

“I hear someone puking their guts out in your apartment. I assume that is whatever lucky woman caught your attention. Really want a stranger alone in your apartment?”

“Oh fuck.” Justice groaned to himself as he stood from the couch, rubbing the back of his neck as if that would wipe away the tiredness. “I meant to keep an eye on her.”

“How did that go for you?”

Justice chose to ignore the question. Instead, he grumbled to himself as he dropped the helmet on the couch and walked back across the hall to his own apartment. The front door closed behind him with a gentle click as he dragged his feet to his bedroom. He was too tired for this.

Or so he thought.

Justice stopped in the doorway; his gaze locked on the woman who had just emerged from his bathroom. He had stayed silent for no more than a second, but it could have been an hour for all he knew. Fully awake and slightly tousled from drunken sleep, the woman was ten times more gorgeous than she had been the night before. Her brown hair didn’t sit in flawless waves anymore but was a slightly frizzy tangle of strands that made her look like a lioness just back from a hunt. She hadn’t put her glasses back on which gave Justice the perfect view of her eyes, even if neither of them had turned on the light. The streetlight outside his bedroom window was enough to show off her features as if she had stepped into a spotlight. He could see the slight smudge of mascara under eyes where the water hadn’t fully washed off the makeup. There was a small crease on the side of her face from where she had been resting against his pillow. His favorite part of her appearance was the slight parting of her lips, showing what surprise she could muster in her hungover state.

“You’re awake.”

“Y-Yeah,” the woman’s voice was rough from her time in the bathroom. He wondered if she had dared to steal some of his mouthwash and mentally applauded her if she did. “Where am I?”

“My apartment. I hope you don’t mind. You passed out before I could get an address from you.” Justice watched her again, as she tucked a clump of stray hair behind her ear. “Did you see the meds on the nightstand?”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

Silence fell between them, making Justice anxious. He wasn’t used to not knowing what to do, but he wasn’t sure if he should storm over and kiss her senseless just to see if she would return the affection or if he should offer to drive her home.

His mouth made that decision for him. “Do you want me to take you home?”

“Uh, actually, can you take me back to the bar? My car is still there, and I can drive myself from there.”

Justice looked over her and frowned a little. Yes, most of the alcohol had probably worn off, if not all of it, but he would be surprised if she could handle the bright lights that came with driving at night. Alcohol and little food couldn’t be doing great things for her head. He would offer to make her food, but he hadn’t gone shopping in days and so his kitchen was as stocked as a ghost town.

“If you want to do that, how about you sleep for a little longer? Let some more of the-”

“I would really like to get home.”

Justice blinked in surprise at her words. He had assumed she would be nervous, but her words didn’t sound nervous. Her tone sounded more like she was giving him an order and expected the order to be obeyed. While he wasn’t one to follow orders anymore, he found himself oddly anxious to follow hers.

“Alright, but can I give you my phone number to make sure you get home safe? I know you don’t know me, but you had a lot to drink last night and I don’t want you to get yourself hurt trying to escape from me.”

“Um, I mean, I guess?” 

Justice waited for her to pull out her phone before reciting the number only his biker family had. He normally had a burner number to give to people he didn’t know, but his last burner phone had gotten tossed after someone Justice had pushed down a flight of steps.

“Did we um, do anything?” 

“Nah. You were too drunk. I carried you upstairs and let you sleep it off. I spent the last few hours at my buddy’s apartment next door. I meant to stay here and make sure you didn’t have alcohol poisoning since you kind of passed out on me, but, you know, I got over there and fell asleep. I guess it was just the night to sleep shit off.” Justice turned, ready to grab his keys to take her home when he hesitated.

His back was towards her and he wondered again why she had been drinking last night. He had no right to ask, but that didn’t stop him. “Can I ask why you needed all the alcohol last night?”

“You can, but I might not answer.” She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet, making the floor creak behind Justice. She wasn’t moving closer, but he almost wished she would. It would give him a reason to reach out to her and persuade her to stay.

“Okay, then tell me your name. I need something other than hot stuff.”

She hesitated, but Justice was pleased when she whispered, “River.”

“It’s been a pleasure River.” Turning his head, Justice glanced at River over his shoulder and grinned at her like he had just won the lottery. “I’m Justice.”

He could see the same look in her eyes that most people got when he told them his name. Justice. A patriotic name that should belong to someone who looked like Captain America. Instead, they got the American mutt who looked like the human version of a pitbull. He might be over six foot, so he wasn’t stalking, but he had that mean look that only got broken up when he gave a goofy grin. 

The only thing he wasn’t sure about was the whole family friendly thing. Most pitbulls seemed to be good with families. The only family he seemed to be good with happened to be all men who drank too much and had too much testosterone. 

Still, it didn’t matter much since he wasn’t sure if she would even call him again.

_And I’m not looking for something other than a fuck damn it._

“Now, shall I take you to your car?”

“Please.”

By the time he got home from dropping River off, Justice had lost his need for sleep. He didn’t like that he was awake, but since he was, he figured he would hit the gym that the men had created downstairs in one of the empty apartments. He had just gotten changed when his phone went off.

**Unknown: Home safe and sound…**

Justice stared at the message for a moment, almost in disbelief before he quickly responded to it.

**Justice: Good. You sure you don’t want to tell me about the reason for the drinking? I’m the world’s most okayest listener.**

While he didn’t expect an answer, he held tightly on the phone as he made his way down the stairs to the gym. He was only half surprised to see Talon on the treadmill, booking it at a pace that made most marathon runners jealous. If Justice thought he needed a break from the gym, Talon was worse. If he wasn’t working or doing something for Justice, he was reading or working out. Justice always wondered when the fucker slept.

**Unknown: Why do you want to know?**

Justice sat down on the bench press seat, his grin growing with each tap of his finger on the screen of his phone.

**Justice: Because if you don’t tell me… all I am going to think is that you got kicked out of your favorite strip club because you got too handsy with one of the dancers. I doubt you want me thinking that, but it is a nice thought.**

While he thought no such thing, he hoped it would be better than just saying he was curious. Sure, he wanted to know, but she had no reason to tell him. He was a stranger. Still, that didn’t stop him from saving her number on his phone in the off chance she continued to talk.

**River: Don’t you wish that were the reason.**

Justice blinked at his phone.

_What did she just say?_

**Justice: Maybe. What parts were you touching? Oh, was it his hot hot dick?**

He wondered if River was smiling at her phone as she read his text. It wasn’t the cleverest of responses, but he knew most men were nervous about talking about other men’s dicks, especially if they identified as straight. He had no such qualm because he thought it was stupid. He saw more dick in the locker room at normal gyms than Talon did in a gay porno.

“You look like an idiot.” Talon’s voice drew Justice’s attention, but he didn’t look from his phone.

“So, I look like you?”

Justice watched as Talon’s feet came into his line of site directly behind his phone. “I’m too hot to look like you.” 

**River: No. His balls.**

Justice grinned wider and it nearly hurt.

Before he could respond, Talon plucked the phone from his hand and quickly read through the texts. “You made her text you when she got home? Are you her mom?”

“Type out that I’m jealous.” Justice knew Talon would do as asked and took the moment to put the weights on the bar until he had 250 pounds attached. While he could do more, he wanted only a medium difficulty while he texted with River.

“She sent a winking face.”

“Did she now?”

“Do you want me to type something else Romeo?”

“Let me think on it.” Justice knew exactly what he wanted Talon to type but was almost nervous to tell him to do it. He kept telling himself that talking to the woman was a bad start and he was only out looking for a fuck last night. Yet, as he did set after set in his exercise, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about seeing her again. It was both unnerving and exciting.

“Well?” Talon waved the phone in Justice’s line of sight, having stood silently next to him. He hadn’t acted as a spotter but had simply stood there like a statue while Justice worked himself into a more stable state of mind.

Finally, Justice nodded and sat up so he could drape his forearms over his thighs, so his wrists crossed between his legs. “Ask her to go to coffee with me later.”

As Talon typed, the male shook his head. “Seriously Just? A date?”

“She’s fucking hot.”

Talon held the phone out to Justice. “And? Remember the last girl you dated?”

Justice felt his chest squeeze slightly. “Yes. I remember Xaio. She is a badass woman who is still hot. What about her?” While he made his voice sound like he didn’t care about the topic of conversation, his body remembered how it had ended. He had loved her, but they had been in the relationship at the wrong time in their lives. It didn’t help that she probably needed someone a little less likely to start a fight with someone.

And someone who didn’t come with his kind of baggage. They had fought tooth and nail and had fucked more than they talked. It hadn’t been a healthy relationship even if Justice had wanted to make her happy during the entire thing. He hadn’t been what she needed, and she had insisted that he needed someone different as well. That conversation had hurt and had him storming out like a moody teenager.

“That ended barely a few months ago. Are you really going to-”

“Talon fuck off. I doubt this girl will agree to the date. Even if she does, she won’t stick with me long.”

Justice fidgeted with his phone, which still hadn’t buzzed with a reply, but he kept his gaze on Talon. To his surprise, his friend leaned forward and got in his face with the same blank expression he always seemed to have. 

“You do realize that because you scare women you attract them? You are the perfect amount of danger that draws them in. Give them a smile and they will fall at your feet because you are the bad boy with the smile of an angel when you want it. You asked this woman to text you when she got home, an indication that you have an understanding that her life is important enough to warrant concern from a complete stranger. She is going to go on that date if for no other reason than to thank you for caring when she was obviously upset. If she were the kind of woman to not even consider going on a date with you, she would have never texted you.” Talon’s gaze seemed to harden as he straightened, but only a fraction. “However, that dangerous pull isn’t going to be enough when she gets wind of the club. Because then she will freak and run. I don’t care about her Just, but I can see you falling for her as easily as you fell for Xaio and I can’t always put you back together.”

Talon placed a hand on Justice’s head, his fingers pressing against the short hair. As odd as the action might have been to someone other than them, Justice understood that Talon was reminding him of his need for physical contact. It was how he had always felt love and he had always been willing to take any kind of contact to get the feeling of love. Right now, it happened to be his friend’s rough fingers toying with his hair.

“I won’t fall for her, no matter how cute she is. She is an innocent girl who might flirt with the dark side, but she won’t stay. She looks like she goes to church on Sunday to help the blind deaf kids who have no home. I look like I burn the church down to worship Satan. She won’t stay.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Talon removed his hand and moved to a nearby machine.

Justice opened his mouth to say something when he heard his phone go off. 

**River: Today? How about 9:30?**

He stared for a moment, almost surprised she agreed. 

**Justice: 9:30 it is. How about the coffee shop down the block from the bar? Bliss Café?**

Justice said nothing to Talon as he watched the next text pop up like she hadn’t even bothered to read the entire text before responding.

**River: Ok**


	4. The First Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Blood, gun shots, character death

After his time in the gym, Justice had gotten himself ready for his date. He was ready to go over an hour before he had to leave the apartment. He had been pleased by his own appearance when he had looked himself over for the first time in the bathroom and he still felt a little flair of approval when he glanced at himself in the reflection of his balcony doors.

Sure, his outfit was the same as it always was, but his jeans didn’t have a hole over one of the knees from wear and he had gone for a white shirt instead of his usual dull black one. The tightness of the shirt stretched the material just enough to give a hint of the tattoos under it. The tease of tattoos on his back and arms were covered by his jacket, but his chest and stomach still gave away the dark swirls. It was an appearance he wasn’t used to, but that could also be because he didn’t make a habit of staring at himself. He knew he was attractive enough, with his sharp jaw and smoldering eyes, but he knew that if he stared at the reflection long enough, he would hate the pointiness of his nose or the fact his lips were full to the point of nearly looking ridiculous. He almost had the model pout down without putting in effort.

“Well, don’t you look nice?”

Justice turned his head to look at the man who had spoken and grinned at him. Joker was one of the few men who had followed Justice’s lead ten years ago and had become one of Justice’s closer friends. He wasn’t as close as Talon, but he was a close second.

The man looked like he had just rolled out of bed and had come up to Justice’s apartment in what he had slept in. The only problem with that assumption was that Joker didn’t live in the apartment complex like most of the Fallen Devils. Joker was one of the few that had moved away to live with his husband. That meant the rumpled shirt, the crooked set of his belt, and his untied shoe weren’t from running up the stairs. He had come here looking like that on purpose.

“Careful Joker, your husband might think you are hitting on me.” Justice dropped his gaze to the man’s throat which had several marks from someone’s teeth. Joker’s husband had always been a possessive little thing and the clear marks made Justice grin a hair wider. “Attacked by a bear?”

Joker snorted and lifted his hand to touch one of the many bite marks on his neck, a pleased look crossing his face. “The bitch sure makes it seem like it doesn’t he?”

Around the same time that Talon had come out to the group, Joker had done the same so he could admit he wanted to marry the man he had been seeing for two years. A few men hadn’t liked that two of the higher-ranking men liked dick and Joker had done his part in putting them in their places. While the man looked gentle with his wide brown eyes and slight smile to his lips, his body was built for fighting. He was lean but had more definition in every part of his body than Justice could ever dream to achieve, no matter how many hours he logged into the gym. That was only apparent most days because Joker didn’t wear his club jacket. He wore it to meetings with the club, but otherwise left it at home like Justice used to.

“So, how can I help you this morning?” Justice shifted away from the sliding glass door in his living room that he had been using as a mirror. Joker didn’t normally come over unannounced, so it was odd that he was here. Not that Justice was going to complain about the man being present. He liked having the other man around.

“Didn’t you send a text out to me and a few of the boys who live off site to be here?”

Justice frowned. “No.”

“Talon?”

“I left him at the gym a few hours ago and I didn’t tell him to call anyone home.” Justice thought for a moment, just to make sure there was nothing he was forgetting. He hadn’t called for an emergency meeting in years and that had been because nearly half of their group had been involved in a collision on the highway when a truck lost control.

Joker’s frown matched Justice’s as he pulled his phone out and held it out to Justice before he could ask for proof of the text. As Justice flipped to the other’s messages, he tried to figure out how someone could send a message out to make it look like he had sent it. To his surprise, there was a text that was sent from an old burner number he had used when his real phone had been dropped in water about six months ago. It had been the phone he had tossed down the stairs a few months ago. He swore the thing had shattered.

**J2: Come to the apartments now. Important.**

“It wasn’t the usual code for emergencies, but I wasn’t chancing it.” Joker took his phone back and tucked it into his pocket.

“How many people came other than you?”

“I saw Cash, Xavier, Nabeel, and a few other newer guys outside,” Joker said with a sigh. “I’m sure there are more on their way.”

“Outside?” Justice walked back to the glass door and slid it open so he could step out onto the small balcony. His apartment faced the front of the building, so he was able to lean over the railing to get a good look at the men below. Sure enough, a group of six club members milled around the door. Two of them were smoking and the other four looked like they were drinking coffee. All of them were wearing their jackets and looked just as rumpled as Joker had. “Why the fuck are you shits out here?” Justice called out to the men below him.

The one he recognized as Xavier lifted his head and called back, “what?”

“Get your asses inside and up here now!”

Joker stepped out onto the balcony with Justice, leaning against the railing so he could look down at the six men. Unlike the men below, neither Justice’s hair nor Joker’s was long enough to get tossed by the wind. That didn’t mean it wasn’t blowing hard enough to send a chill down Justice’s spine.

“Do you even still have that burner?” Joker asked as he turned his face toward Justice.

“No.” Justice turned his head to look down at the street. He watched several cars drive by, but one car had his attention. It had all its windows open when the morning air had dipped into the upper thirties. There was no need for the windows to be open. “Oh fuck.”

“Inside!” Joker screamed at the men when he spotted the car a second later. “Get the fuck inside!”

The alarm in Joker’s voice got three of the men inside before the first shot rang out. Justice knew not all the men would be inside before the shots got to the apartment complex. The fear that he would lose someone under his protection had Justice running through his apartment and practically flying down the five flights of steps. He barely felt his feet touch the steps as he used the railing to practically swing around the corners. The panting behind him was the only sign he had that Joker was sprinting after him.

Justice knew couldn’t outrun bullets, but those bullets weren’t meant for him. He didn’t need to run away from them. He had to run towards them, and he couldn’t get his legs to move fast enough.

He made it to the ground floor as the last few bullets ripped through bits of wall by the front door. All the bullets seemed to create a halo around Talon, who was swinging open the door. He had his own gun in his hand, but it was aimed at the ground as he flung himself outside. Justice wasn’t surprised that the man still had his exercise clothes on. The loose-fitting shorts and shirt were plastered to his body from sweat. Had they been just running into each other in the hall, Justice would have yelled at him for spending so long in the gym again. He would work himself to the bone and Justice couldn’t have his brother pushing so hard he didn’t have the energy to hold up his bike on a turn.

But Justice couldn’t focus on Talon’s unhealthy habit. He had to get outside.

“Three men were in the car. I hit one when it slowed down, but the driver and the passenger in the back are still alive.” Talon’s voice was steady, as he lifted his gun and aimed at the car retreating down the street. He shot twice before lowing the weapon again. Justice stepped behind him and glared at the bright red sedan as the lights turned the corner. “I hit the door from the window of the gym but missed the tires.”

While that wasn’t the ideal situation, neither was the one at Justice’s feet. When exiting the building he had seen the bodies on the ground but had chosen to ignore them in favor of looking for the car. Since the car hadn’t stopped and he couldn’t chase after it on foot, he let his attention turn to the men. Two laid side by side, bright red blood slithering over their bodies like snakes.

Cash was the first body Justice glanced at. He had turned twenty-one about seven months ago and had been a prospect since. He had almost earned himself a permanent place in the family, but the six holes in his chest told Justice that it wouldn’t happen now. Not that the injuries stopped Justice from leaning down to feel for a pulse or to check if Cash’s chest would move with another breath. When he couldn’t feel a heartbeat and his hand remained on the still chest of the younger man, Justice shifted his hand to close the kid’s wide blue eyes.

The younger man had been on his own in this world and had looked forward to moving into an apartment with one of the few women in the club. Kylie would be devastated when she walked out to see the cute kid, that had followed her around like a puppy, was dead. She would hide her pain like most of the people here would, but she would break down eventually over the fact she would never hear the kid’s nasally laugh or run her hands through his shoulder length blonde hair again. Justice had to remind himself that they would have to do everything for his funeral since he had been alone in this world before trying to join their family. He had grown up in the foster system with the worst of the worst that the place had to offer. All his friends wore the same leather jacket that now soaked up the blood that was leaving its owner.

Justice momentarily looked up at Talon, to remind himself the man was alive before turning his attention to the second body.

The other body belonged to Xavier. He had been Justice’s favorite recruit. He had come to them on his eighteenth birthday, eager to be a part of something both bad for him and something that would help him take care of his family. When he had come in on his birthday, he had told Justice and Talon about how he had two siblings that his single mother was struggling to take care of. He had heard a rumor in his high school that the Fallen Devils would help him financially if he joined their ranks. When Justice laughed at him for trying to join a gang for something so noble, Talon had stepped in to vouch for the kid. Talon had told Justice later that it was because Justice had killed people and taken over the family to protect his own family. He didn’t have to remind Justice that the family he had protected hadn’t even been blood related. He had no reason to deny the kid.

Still, he had been a kid and Justice had been reluctant to accept him. When he did finally accept that Xavier would be one of them, Justice had quickly taken to him like he had always been a part of the group. Xavier had done every small errand and gave Justice shit just to make him laugh whenever he had the chance. He had been like another younger brother and now he had half his head missing from bullets ripping through his skull. Justice couldn’t even tell if his left eye was in the socket or if it had taken a bullet, obliterating it as it was shoved into his skull.

“Fuck.” Justice reached down and pressed his hand against Xavier’s exposed skull as if to keep his brains and blood inside his body. The feeling was an unfortunate wet, soft mess. A few shards of bone poked at Justice’s hand, daring him to press harder.

The right side of Xavier’s face looked almost untouched by the damage. His untouched bright brown eye still looked half open as if he were still trying to wake up from the early morning text. His cheek even looked flushed from the cold. Justice used his free hand to touch the cheek still chilled from the wind. Even Xavier’s mouth sat parted as if he would suck in a breath at any moment.

“Are the cops on the way?” Talon asked from behind Justice. Justice wasn’t sure who he was talking to, but he knew he needed to check the rest of his surroundings. He couldn’t just sit there, staring at Xavier like it would put the kids head back together.

“Probably.” Joker’s voice answered. “So is an ambulance. Nabeel was hit in the leg. He is bleeding pretty bad, but Kylie is doing her best to stop it. She hasn’t seen the rest of the damage and I’m going to keep it that way until the cops get here.”

“We don’t have time to worry about Kylie’s feelings. Go clean up the rooms. Hide guns and anything else in my safe. It is an old-style turning dial. Combination is 25-18-83. The safe is in my bedroom, left side of the closet.”

“Will they ask to look in it?”

“Go.” Talon’s voice was a hiss and he pointedly ignored the question. They had to hope there was no reason the cops would come inside, but just in case, they had to move anything that might be illegal.

Justice finally glanced over his shoulder at Talon. He had hidden his gun somewhere while Justice had been trying to heal a dead man. “They ask, it is my safe Tal.”

“Ju-.”

“Don’t argue.” When Talon didn’t say anything, Justice turned his attention back to Xavier. The blood didn’t seem to be flowing as freely anymore, but it had covered Justice’s hand to the point it looked like he had slid on a glove meant for a serial killer. It was beginning to dry on his skin, and he felt the sudden urge to itch at his palm.

For a moment, Justice continued to watch the kid at his feet, but forced himself to his feet when the first cop car pulled up. He wasn’t prepared for this, but he had to do it. It was only as the man approached that Justice remembered the date, he was meant to have in less than an hour now.

Ignoring the cop as he neared the curb, Justice pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to River.

**Justice: Need to reschedule. I promise to explain once I can.**

He had no doubt he would never hear from her again, but he knew his club had to come first. They were the people he was meant to protect and keep safe against both people like him and the cop who was snarling at him about explaining himself. However, while he worked on not strangling the cop, he did feel his phone buzz in his pocket.

It took three hours to get the cops settled down enough to get them to leave. While it probably wouldn’t have taken that long for a normal person, they were part of a motorcycle club that had once had the reputation of being a nasty, kill first, ask questions later type of group. Hell, the cops had arrested Justice more than once on false accusations just to see if they could get his club to disband. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t the reason people were killed. He was the reason the killing stopped.

Well, for the most part. At least his kills were justifiable and hidden from the general public. The man before him had killed and left the body to be found as if it was a gruesome art display.

The only reason Justice hadn’t been dragged back to the station this time was because another call had come in that had needed the officer’s attention more than the dead bodies that had already been taken away. That left everyone in the club to disperse and try to calm themselves from the intense morning.

“Talon, can you call someone about starting our own investigation into who shot at my boys.” Justice pulled his own phone from his pocket, ignoring the glove of blood on his hand. “Then go to the hospital to help with Nabeel if he needs it. If he doesn’t give me a call.”

Talon grunted from behind him in acknowledgement, but he didn’t move from his spot. Instead, he waited for Justice to look at him. They had both gone up to Justice’s apartment to give themselves ten seconds of relaxation before getting to business. “Don’t go anywhere alone.”

“Not now.” Justice knew where this was going and didn’t need Talon to say it.

“Justice, fucking listen to me for once.”

“I always listen!” Justice snapped. He didn’t recall moving, but the next thing he knew, he was in Talon’s face. He could see the silver specs in the man’s otherwise blue eyes. “But I can’t always follow through with requests. Now, go.”

Talon didn’t back down. He just lifted his lip in a snarl. It was more emotion than the man had shown in a long while. “Not until you listen.”

Justice shoved his hands against Talon’s chest, but when Talon stepped back, he pulled Justice with him. With a quick twist of his body, Talon had Justice’s back against the wall. Then it only took his forearm on Justice’s throat to keep him pinned in place.

“Clean yourself up. Then make all the necessary phone calls. Then, and only then, take Joker with you to go do what you have to. I know you have to go see Xavier’s mom, so she hears from us instead of the cops, but you have to do it with someone. If someone attacks your men, they are doing it to attack you. Had it been me or Joker, maybe it could have been personal for us, but not for those two kids and you know it. You barely let them go to the store, let alone do something that would earn them a grudge, meaning they weren’t the mother fucking target.” Talon paused and pressed on Justice’s throat when he tried to speak. “You might be the boss here, but I know you. You go in swinging when someone comes after your loved ones. Keep. A. Calm. Head. Take Joker with you when you go somewhere.”

When Talon stepped back and let his arms fall to his side, Justice sucked in a deep breath. Talon had never fully restricted his breathing, but it had been uncomfortable with his arm pressed against his throat. Talon was strong and had been trained by the man before Justice to deal more punches than he took. That training obviously stayed in the man’s bones.

“I would prefer if it was you.”

“You can’t have me. Take Joker.”

“Fine.” Justice sucked in another breath before he sagged against the wall. “The little shit was eighteen Tal.”

Talon didn’t blink at the sudden change in topic. “We can celebrate his birthday for him when it comes.” Talon glanced down at his workout clothes and then looked back at Justice. “I’m getting cleaned up. You do the same. You look like you took a bath in blood.”

Justice knew Talon would deal with the deaths in his own way on his own time, but he couldn’t do it now. They had a busy day ahead of them.

“Eat first.”

“Yes mom.”

As Talon left the apartment, Justice glanced at his phone he had dropped in the small scuffle. The screen looked uncracked, which was a small win for the day. As he picked it up, the phone lit up and reminded him he had a text. He unlocked his phone and started at River’s response.

**River: Ok.**

The one-word response was at least something, but his stomach squeezed with nerves as he read it ten times over. Would she really pick up the phone if he called?

_Only one way to find out._

Justice tapped her name and pressed the call button when it appeared. He had to wait for three rings for the woman to pick up. “Hello?”

“Hey Babycakes, it’s your favorite chauffeur.” Justice knew his voice sounded off. It didn’t fluctuate like it normally would, but he didn’t have the energy to waste on sounding like he normally did. He didn’t even have the energy to stand. He at least had the energy to get to the couch before he collapsed.

“Justice?”

“You got it.” Justice reclined until his head was on the only throw pillow he had on his grey couch. His legs were too long for the thing and hung over the arm of the couch as he stretched out. “Sorry for canceling today River. I had,” Justice hesitated, unsure of what words he actually wanted to give her. “I had a family emergency.”

“Is everyone okay?” Her tone was calm, but he wasn’t sure if it was because she was bracing herself for a lie or if she was usually this calm when she was home. Probably both.

“No. Two people died.”

Silence met his admission and he had to pull his phone away from his ear to make sure the call was still connected. Even when he put the phone back to his ear, she didn’t respond right away. “Babycakes?”

“I’m sorry Justice.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Hey, I don’t want you to feel bad for me. I just thought you deserved a reason for my sudden change in schedule. Trust me when I say I really wanted to go get some coffee with you.”

“I’m still sorry.”

Justice felt his chest tighten. “Thanks.” Again, there was silence, but it was Justice that needed the silence this time. He wasn’t sure what to say to her and he wasn’t sure he was brave enough to ask for another date when he shouldn’t be looking for a lover.

He was still trying to convince himself he didn’t need one even when his body craved another person’s touch.

“So, we reschedule. Next week? Same time and place?” River’s suggestion made the tightness in Justice’s chest increase.

“That would be great. I would prefer if it was tomorrow, but I can bet I’m busy with funeral planning.” Justice felt the bitter laugh leave his body more than heard it. “It has been a while since I’ve planned a funeral.”

“Need to talk about it?”

“You sound like me.” Justice laughed again, but it was a lighter sound than before. “How about I’ll tell you more another time if you tell me why you were drinking so much last night.”

There was a small hesitation as River thought over his request. “I thought we went through that. I touched some guys balls at a strip club.”

“Oh shit, you’re right.” Some of the pain he had in his chest seeped out of his pores until he could close his eyes and relax against the couch. If he didn’t have shit to do, he might have been able to take a nap. God knew he needed one. “How did I forget?”

River’s laugh was soft and airy, like she was forcing the action. Maybe she was, but she was doing it for a stranger and Justice could appreciate that. “I don’t know, but I guess I could give you a different reason if we make it through our date in one piece.”

While he knew it was a joke, Justice grimaced. He shouldn’t be going on a date, especially when Talon had a good point about a target being on his back. Too bad the target didn’t have anything to do with the one on his jacket.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“I’ll see you next week.”

“See you then.” Justice hesitated before quickly adding on, “And thanks for agreeing to reschedule River.”

“Yeah.” Justice listened as River hung up.


	5. Who Needs Sleep?

Telling Xavier’s mother about his death had gone over just as horribly as Justice had expected. Justice had done it, knowing if anyone else did it, he would have hated himself. Sure, he already hated himself for knowing the kid’s death was because of him, but it would have been worse. Seeing her collapse to the ground, her sobbing so piercing that Justice’s head had hurt for hours after, had eaten away at him. When he had tried to console her, the sobbing had only gotten worse until she had no strength left. He had helped her to her couch to let her recover and had stayed until she needed him to leave so she could take care of her remaining kids.

Justice stepped into the bar a few days after the ordeal, his body exhausted from lack of sleep. He hadn’t slept since he had woken up on Talon’s couch and his grumpiness was getting more and more apparent. Most of his men, who mainly knew him for his joking comments had all kept a distance from him since his first outburst when someone had asked how he was holding up. Granted, they had asked him as he had entered the apartment complex where he could still see the stain of blood. He hadn’t had a moment to really process everything that had happened, and the shit had asked him how he was dealing.

What did they expect from him?

_They expect you to be put together._

He had to stop himself from cursing himself as he let the bar door swing shut behind him. The voices in the bar were comforting to an extent, but he also wanted to tell them all to shut up.

“Just.” Talon’s voice was more of a bark than anything and the noise rubbed at Justice’s raw nerves.

“Don’t talk to me.” Justice stepped up to the bar and reached over to grab one of the bottles Talon had yet to put away.

Justice’s fingers barely wrapped around the neck of the bottle before Talon snatched the bottle back and set it back down on the counter just out of reach. When Justice moved to grab the bottle again, Talon put it on a shelf behind him.

A low, annoyed noise rumbled from Justice just as Talon huffed and jerked his head toward away from the entrance of the bar. “Go to the breakroom and sleep. You don’t sleep, you don’t get alcohol.”

“Fuck you Talon.” Justice reached out again for another bottle, but Talon shoved his hand out of the way. Instant silence echoed around them; all eyes glued to the dangerous situation. “Give. Me. The. Alcohol.”

“No.” Talon probably hadn’t slept much, like Justice, but didn’t show the same wear and tear Justice did. Where Justice had large dark bags under his eyes, which had turned an alarming shade of red, Talon barely had a tired look in his eyes. He looked much like he had before Xavier’s death.

“Look you f-“

“Nope.” Talon stopped Justice midsentence with a wave of his hand and pointed to the door on the far side of the room. “Sleep.”

Justice opened his mouth to argue, but Talon jumped the bar before he could. When Justice lifted his hands to shove Talon away, Talon grabbed one of his arms and spun Justice, so he was pinned against the counter. Justice shoved at the counter with his free hand but didn’t have the strength to push Talon away. All he managed to do was give Talon a small nudge and enough leverage to twist Justice’s arm up his back. The action made Justice give an uncomfortable grunt, but it also was all it took for him to know his friend had won the battle. While Talon might be sleep deprived, he knew how to conserve energy. Justice didn’t have that same talent. He just kept pushing his body until his legs could barely understand how to keep him upright when he was leaning against a wall.

“You are hurting, I get it,” Talon hissed low enough for only Justice to hear. “But you will be _shit_ help if you don’t sleep. Go get a few hours of sleep on the couch and then come out and we can talk.” Talon stepped back and shoved Justice toward the break room. It was only by some miracle that Justice didn’t fall flat on his face as he stumbled forward.

“I hate you.” Justice’s words barely registered in his own ears, but Talon snorted a laugh indicating he heard.

“Love you too brother.”

Reluctantly, Justice walked through the bar, noting just how full the bar was for the middle of the day. Most men were anxious to find who had shot at their friends, but Justice had yet to discover anything. He had Joker talking to his husband, in hopes of getting discreet help from someone on the police force, but nothing had come of that yet. It could be because Joker was reeling just as much as Justice was. They weren’t good with death even if they caused it on occasion and had been exposed to it more than some people in the military.

_Shit. This fucking sucks._

Justice grunted as he pulled open the breakroom door that also doubled as an office. When Justice had the bar remodeled, he had the office and breakroom combined because he never had anything he needed to hide from the men here. Sure, there was a chance that one of the men would kill Justice and take everything he had, including the bar and its profits, but that hadn’t stopped him from the change. It had given the employees more room to relax and that had been his priority. If safety had been his priority, he would have locked the front door of the bar and never let someone walk through them again.

The construction itself had cost a pretty penny, but he was pleased with the outcome because it left the large room open for all their needs. There were three couches around a large, round coffee table that sat next to the far wall. A large television was propped up on the wall, playing some random day time drama that either one of the men had been watching or had simply come on after another show. The television was rarely turned off, giving the illusion that someone was always in the room, even though it often sat empty. At that moment, it was only Justice staring at the space.

Still, it could hold many people if it needed to. The original lockers had been tossed during the remodel; the employee storage not really needed. Now his secondhand desk sat there with a new desktop computer and a filing cabinet next to it. That was the only thing with a lock on it. Although, there had been times when Justice had wished he could put a lock on the full-sized fridge they had in the room to keep people from making a mess of the thing. It seemed his men didn’t understand how to clean out the fridge and often forgot about the food they had brought with them in favor of the free food they could get from the bar. Justice didn’t blame them for that, but they shouldn’t bring food to begin with if they knew they were going to just order a free meal.

Grunting, Justice thought about checking to see if the fridge was cleaned but chose to ignore it for the moment. Instead, he crawled onto one of the couches and let his body stretch out over the extra-long cushions. Unlike his personal couch, the couches were long enough to let his entire body stretch between the arm rests while giving him a few more inches of wiggle room to get comfortable. Not that he moved much once his head touched the cushions. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have a throw pillow to keep it propped up or that there wasn’t a blanket to keep him warm.

Even though Justice hadn’t been able to sleep at home, he had managed to sleep easily in the bar. He slept for the better part of five hours, only waking when he felt like he was being watched.

“What?” Justice groaned as he forced his eyes to open. His eyelids felt more like gym weights as they dragged over his eyes.

He only got a blurry image of Talon when his eyes finally moved away from the blinking digital clock across from him. Talon was sitting on one of the other couches, his arms resting on his legs like he was unable to hold up his upper body anymore. While he might not have looked tired earlier, Justice eyed his friend’s hunched shoulders and distant look. It was like the last few hours had been all his body could handle.

“Tal?” Justice propped himself onto one arm and forced his brain to crawl out of the fog it had created in his sleep. “You ok?”

Talon’s head tilted to the side before it hung between his shoulders like he couldn’t keep it up anymore. “I need sleep is all.”

“When was the last time you slept?” Justice knew he could give Talon shit for sleeping just as little as he had, but he wasn’t sure that would get the desired effect.

“Probably nearing 96 hours now.” Justice wanted to swear but bit his tongue. “And before you ask, it isn’t because of Xavier.”

“Then why aren’t you sleeping?”

“The usual.”

That wasn’t good. Talon had been having nightmares since he was sixteen, but they had faded over the last ten years when things hadn’t been all death, beatings, and uncertainty. If he was having nightmares again, then it was likely Justice would have to bench Talon in whatever battle might happen when Xavier’s murderer was found. Talon might be one of the strongest fighters in the group, but he wasn’t immortal. His tired body would collapse eventually, and Justice couldn’t risk his friend’s life that way.

“Ok, so we need to get you some more sleeping meds?”

“No. I hate those things.” Talon let out a long breath and all Justice could think was that his friend was deflating. He hadn’t slept in days and had probably used the last of his energy to get Justice to listen earlier.

“Too bad.” Justice stood finally, but only so he could sit on the coffee table across from Talon. Their knees brushed together they were sitting so close. “You need the sleep more than I did.”

“I can’t.”

“Too fucking bad.” Justice grabbed his phone from his jeans and sent a quick text to Joker to pick up some over the counter sleeping pills from the store. The man was probably at home but would drop whatever he was doing since Justice had texted. Joker always had, just like Talon. “I’m at least making you take something small. I won’t make you take the hard shit unless you don’t sleep within the next twelve hours. Then I’m robbing a pharmacy to get you something to knock you out. You have to sleep. If you refuse to take something, I will knock your ass out with my fist if I have to.”

Talon grunted his understanding, but his lip curled up in distaste. He could only fight Justice’s orders for so long.

“Did you drive here?”

“Yeah. Bike is out front.”

Justice wanted to strangle Talon for a split moment. “Idiot. Okay, I’ll call a cab and get you back to the apartment so you can s-.”

“I’m still on the clock Just.”

The urge to strangle the man grew until Justice had to clasp his hands in front of him to keep from following through with it. “And there were how many people in the bar that can technically do your job? Twenty? Thirty? They can do it. I’m taking you home. If you argue with me about this anymore, I will knock you out and drag your ass back home.”

A soft sigh was all Talon could do to respond. Since Justice didn’t want to give Talon a moment to change his mind, Justice texted Joker again to tell him to reroute the delivery to the apartments before standing. He was so close to Talon he could feel the man’s muscles quivering with effort as he tried to stand as well. For someone so sure on their feet, the shaking made Justice nervous.

“Let me guess, you worked out when you couldn’t sleep?” Justice didn’t need Talon to answer to know the answer to the question. “You are going to kill yourself one of these days.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Yes.” Justice helped Talon to his feet and wrapped an arm around him to help guide him toward the breakroom door. Each step Talon took seemed to get harder. “You are my family Talon. If I lose you, I lose too much.”

Talon leaned against Justice as they left the break room, causing Justice to use both arms to keep his friend upright. By the time he was outside, he was practically dragging Talon. While he hadn’t driven to the bar, he wish he had. He needed a car to get Talon home. It would be much easier to take his own vehicle than a cab.

That didn’t stop him from pulling his phone out to call for one. Luckily, before he requested one, a familiar voice hit his ears.

“Everything ok?”

“Yeah. Just gotta get the old man home for some rest.” Justice shifted his gaze to Metal, a man who had been in the club for the better part of five years. When Justice had first heard the man say his preferred name, he and nearly laughed. The man had wanted to sound badass and thought the name would be more terrifying than John. While he wasn’t entirely wrong, it still sounded like he had tried too hard to make himself seem scarier than he was. Joker’s name worked because the man was capable of acting just as insane as the villain Joker, but Metal had almost no hard qualities. He tried to look it, but Justice imagined he was as soft as a two-day old kitten. “Metal, tend the bar until close. When you close let me know. If men want to stay after close make sure you know them and let both myself and Joker know. They can stay if they feel safer, but I need to know where everyone is.”

Metal nodded his head, his hair swaying with the motion. The strands were a horrible shade of black from the bad box dye the man had used on it over a month ago. Justice didn’t normally care about people’s appearances, but this man was a bit much at times. He would have looked better with his natural auburn tinted brown hair. However, it wasn’t Justice’s place to tell him that. Eventually he might figure out that it was how you held yourself and not what was on the outside that made you seem stronger than you were. The black hair might be badass on some, but it made Metal look more like he had a drug problem than anything else.

“Also, I need your car.”

“My car?” Metal frowned but pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “Did you know I drove today?”

“No, but I hoped.” Justice shifted most of Talon’s weight to his side so he could hold his hand out to take the keys. Once they were in hand, he pressed the unlock button and glanced around for the car. When he spotted it, Justice was relieved. It was a midsized silver sedan that had obviously been used for more than a decade. There were a few rusted spots and tired tires, but it looked clean and in relatively good shape. It also looked big enough for the pair of them, which wasn’t always the case since most people liked to buy small sporty cars. Justice was one of them, but not everyone’s sports car was big enough for him. “You live at the apartments, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll call my girl for a ride so no worries. I’ll get the keys tomorrow.”

Justice nodded and motioned to the bar with his chin. “Get to work.”

“Sure boss.” Metal gave a solute and took a quick glance at Talon before he escaped back into the bar.

It took Justice a moment to drag his friend’s weight to the car parked toward the back of the parking lot. The thing was behind the fifteen or so bikes that were parked closer to the door. It was almost like a maze to get through, but Justice was reassured by the visual of so many motorcycles in one spot. It gave him a sense of home.

Justice opened the passenger side door and practically dropped Talon inside. An odd sense of déjà vu ran through Justice’s brain as Talon’s eyes closed. He still had a few more days until he had his official date with River, but he really wanted to see her.

Sighing, Justice shook his head. He had to remind himself that he wasn’t even supposed to go on a date with the woman. She was meant to be a one-night stand.

Yet he couldn’t get her from his head.

The drive home was quiet and left Justice with way too much time to think. He started off thinking about how big his family had gotten over the last few years and then that morphed into the funeral service that he was paying for. Cash hadn’t wanted one apparently and just wanted to be cremated. He didn’t specify if he wanted his ashes to be scattered or not, but Justice was leaving that to Kylie, who had apparently been far sweeter on the kid than any of them had thought. Although, while Cash hadn’t needed one, Xavier’s mom had said she needed to have a funeral for closure and for religious purposes. Justice had told her he would finance it all and continue giving her what Xavier would have earned until her other kids turned 18. She had declined more than once, saying she would do it herself, but Justice had somehow convinced her that he wanted to help her. He didn’t know if it had been the expression on his face or the fact, he had practically got to his knees to beg her to accept his help. He wanted to do something to help ease the sense of loss even if paying for a funeral wouldn’t do much.

By the time Justice got home, he was thinking of River and the distraction she would provide him. He needed to get out of his head and away from the club for a moment to keep his sanity. Thinking about death threats, cop involvement, and anything else could wear the body and mind down beyond repair.

“Wakey wakey Talon.” Justice whispered as he killed the engine of the car.

“Not asleep.” Talon whispered back as his eyes finally opened to look at the apartment complex. It had been cleaned and fixed in the last few days, but Justice swore he could see blood on the concrete. He wondered if Talon could see it too.

“Then get your ass out of the car.”

Justice ended up helping Talon out of the car and up the stairs. Halfway up, Joker showed up with the meds and helped Talon the rest of the way up. Talon didn’t protest when Justice opened his apartment door and told Joker to help Talon to the bedroom.

As Talon was set up on Justice’s bed, Justice got water for his friend and opened the pill bottle that Joker had handed over. It took a few minutes to convince Talon to take the meds, but eventually he did, and it took barely ten seconds for the man to pass out in the middle of Justice’s bed.

“Looks like you get to cuddle with him tonight,” Joker teased, rubbing a hand over his shaved head. The man looked tired, but not nearly as bad as Justice or Talon had been. “Michael said he couldn’t help right now. He is on another case that has most of the department’s resources tied up.”

Justice moved into his living room and Joker followed him.

“Thanks for asking.” Justice smiled at Joker but watched his friend’s eyes shift up the ceiling. His hands were on his narrow hips, the knuckles almost white where he gripped. “Let me guess, he wants you to take a step back for now?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you?” Justice would never push Joker to be where he didn’t want to be, but he was one of their most trusted men. If he and Talon were out, it would fall on Justice to keep people safe.

Not that he wasn’t ready for that. He had done it ten years ago. He could do it again.

“No. I told him I couldn’t do that. I know he is scared, but people want to kill us. Even people in his fucking department. The only change now is that someone was killed.”

“That is a big change Joker. Most people don’t have the balls to come after men who look like they steal candy from babies. Right now, it seems there is someone willing to do it. You can always hang back until I figure out who killed Cash and Xavier.”

“No.” This time Joker’s voice sounded final.

“Good. I don’t want to do this without you anyway.” Justice’s words brought a tired smile to Joker’s lips. “But there isn’t anything for you to do tonight. Just head home and curl up with Michael. I’ll keep an eye on Talon. Thanks for stopping at the store.”

Joker jerked his chin up in acknowledgement. “See you tomorrow Just.”

“See you.” Justice waited for Joker to leave before pulling his phone out of his pocket. He didn’t even realize what he was doing until he had already touched the send button on his text.

**Justice: Can we change our date to tomorrow?**

It wasn’t even seven, but it had felt like midnight after his few hours of sleep. That was the reason he gave himself for being surprised at the quick response.

**River: Eager?**

Justice grinned to himself.

**Justice: You have no idea. Please? I’ll get on my knees and beg if you want.**

**River: Beg huh?**

**Justice: Beg.**

He couldn’t take the playful texting and called River the moment he sent his last text. River picked up even before the first ring sounded.

“Please go out with me tomorrow?”

“That was horrible begging. That was just you adding the word ‘please’ to your question.” River’s tone was teasing, but it got Justice’s pulse to increase.

“You’re right.” Justice fell back onto his couch like he had the last time he had spoken to her. “Ok, how about this? I will do anything if you let me take you out tomorrow. I’ll come in a pink ballerina outfit and say you are my mistress the entire time if it makes you happy. I can put on a leather collar, bark like a dog, and wiggle around like a dog.”

The laugh River gave only added to the reasons Justice’s heart was racing. “Oh god, as much as I would love to see you dressed up like that, how about we just figure out what I want when we meet tomorrow after I get off work.”

_Oh fuck._ It was the middle of the week. Most people had to work, unlike Justice. How had he forgotten? “Deal. What time?”

“I get off at five. Want to get coffee still?”

Justice thought for a moment before humming softly. “Or I could take you out to dinner. I know a few places that are to die for.”

“Dinner it is. Text me where to meet you?”

Justice’s smile was so wide it hurt. “Anywhere I want?”

“Sure. I’m not picky when it comes to food.”

“Oh, a woman after my heart. Fine, I’ll text you where to meet me and I will see you around five thirty or do you need more time to get ready?”

Justice nearly moaned when she laughed again. He really needed to get his responses to this woman under control. He knew nothing about her but still found himself responding to her like she had been his girlfriend for years. “Five-thirty works. See you tomorrow.”

“I better.”

“So demanding.”

Justice snorted and let his eyes close. Much like last time they had spoken, his body relaxed. His heart might be running a marathon, but the rest of his body was drowning in the sound of her voice and didn’t want to even attempt to come up for air. “You have no idea.”

There was a small hesitation before River said, “Are you doing ok?”

Justice thought about the person who had asked that just a few days ago and how he had nearly ripped his head off. Now his heart squeezed like it was the exact question it wanted to hear. “I don’t know. I’m trying, but I think I need to escape the day-to-day life right now. The best way I could think to do that, was to get the hot girl to go out with me.”

“Well, it is a good thing I agreed to the change.”

“That it is. Now, you go relax and I’ll work on making myself pretty for you tomorrow. I promise no pink outfits until you tell me otherwise.”

The sound over the phone made Justice wonder if River was stifling her laugh. He pictured her hand thrown over her mouth as she tried to keep herself from laughing at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you.”


End file.
